Locking device



March 31, 1931. H. T. ANDERSON LOCKING DEVI CE Filed April 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm m mm vm MN Q o 9 mm O h b w March 31, 1931. H. T. ANDERSON LOCKING DEVICE Filed April 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 31, 1931 PATENT OFF-ICE HARRY T. ANDERSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA LOCKING DEVICE Application filed April 8,

This invention relates to hopper doors and ifnore particularly to locking devices there- An object of this invention is to provide for locking hopper doors in closed position in response to the movement of the doors to closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. door locking device that shall maintain the doors closed until some positive act has been performed on the locking device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide locking devices for locking doors which may be unlocked by striking a blow on the latch thereof.

Other objects of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a partial view in perspective of a railway car having a hopper and a door provided with a locking device arranged and constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the doors 2 in closed position.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a latch and a link which is pivotally connected to the latch and a housing therefor carried by the door and Fig. 4 is a front plan view of a housing embodied in the door locking device.

Throughout the drawings and the specification like reference characters indicate like parts.

In the drawings, the bottom of a railway car 1 is partly illustrated in perspective, and the bottom of the car is provided with hoppers 2 and 3, the hoppers being supported or carried by the under-frame structure of the car as well known in the art.

The hoppers 2 and 3 are provided with doors 4 and 5, respectively, for closing the discharge opening in the hopper when materials such as coal or the like are being transported in the car, and for permitting the discharge of the materials through the hopper door openings when the cars are to be unloaded.

The doors are mounted on hinges at the tops thereof from the bottom of the car structure 1930. Serial No. 442,542.

and since the hinged mountings are similar and since only the hinges for the door 4 are shown fully, the hinge structure of this door will be described. It is to be understood that the hinge structure for the door 5 is identical to the hinge structure illustrated for door 4. As shown, in Figs. 1 and 2, the door 4 is mounted on hinge pins 6 carried by brackets 7, the brackets being mounted or secured to a flange 8 of an angle bar carried by the bottom of the car.

In order that the doors -4 and 5 may be moved to open or closed position at the same time, a Z-bar 10 is secured to both doors by means of rivets 11, thereby tying them together. As shown, the Z-bar is located adja cent the lowermost portions of the doors.

As illustrated, more particularly in Fig. 2, a latch keeper 12 is secured on the outside wall of the hoppers 1 and 2 near the bottom thereof. Each keeper 12 is provided with a downwardly sloping flange 13 having an aperture 14 therein for receiving a latch 15 when the doors are in closed position as shown in Fig. 2.

The latch 15 is disposed for vertical movement in a sleeve 16 forming part of a housing 17. One housing 17 is mounted ateach end of the Z-bar 10 and secured to an upwardly extending flange 18 thereof. As shown more clearly in Fig. 4, the housing 17 is provided with two spaced brackets 19 and 20. e

In order to limit the upward movement of the latch 15 in the sleeve 16, alink 21 is pivotally connected to the latch 15 by means of a pin 22, the link being of the shape at this end to receive the latch 15, therebetween, (see Fig. 8). The other end of the link 21 is pivotally connected to the brackets 19 and 20 by a pin 23 that passes through a base portion of the brackets immediately above the flange 18 of the Z-bar 10.

The latch 15 is provided with two angularly disposed faces 24 and 25 at the lower end thereof, the face 25 being relatively steeper than the face 24. The slope of the face 24 is such that when the door is moved towards closed position the latch will slide on the flange 13 of the latch keeper 12 and move vertically along the inclined face 24 until the latch drops into the aperture 14. The slope of the face is such that the entrance of the latch 15 into the slot 14 is rendered easy.

The upper end of the latch 15 is provided with a head or lug 26 that extends outwardly from the sides of the hoppers. By striking a blow on the underside of the head 26, the latch 15 may be driven out of the aperture 14 so that the doors may be unlatched and permitted to swing to open position as indicated in Fig. 1.

In order that the latch 15 may be held in door closing position as shown in. Fig. 2, a cam 27 is provided. The cam 27 is disposed between the brackets 19 and 20 and mounted for turning movement on a pin 28 that passes through the brackets 19 and 20 and the cam. When the cams 27 are in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the cam face thereof engages the head 26 of the latch 15 thereby locking it in place.

It will readily be observed that to unlatch the doors 4 and 5 the cams 27 must be turned to the positions indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. In these positions the latches 15 may be driven out of the apertures 14 in the latch 12. Since, when the doors are in the closed position they hang in an inclined position with reference to the hinge pins 16, the doors will fall by gravity to the open position indicated in Fig. 1.

As the cams 27 are disposed for movement in a plane substantially parallel to the doors 4 and 5, the door locking device which comprises the latch keeper 12, the latch 15, the housing 17 and the cam 27, will require a minimum of space on the car doors. Also, since the head 26 of the latches 15 extends outwardly from the sides of the hoppers, the latches are easily accessible. This is true also of the cams 27. I

The cams 27 may be turned to the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings by striking a blow to outwardly extending lugs 29 formed thereon to loosen them. By striking these lugs with a hammer or other tool the cams 'are free to be turned out of engagement with the heads 26 of the latches 15. Ahammer or other tool may also be employed for striking an upward blow on the bottom side of the heads 26 of the latches 15 so that the, doors may be unlatched and permitted to swing to and scope of the invention, it is to be understood that only such limitations shall be placed on the invention as are imposed by the prior art and the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is substantially parallel, to the door, and a. cam

for locking said link against movement when the latch and keeper are in position to hold the door closed.

2. In a door locking device, in combination, a door frame, a latch keeper mounted on the door frame, a latch carried by the door and disposed for vertical movement with respect to the latch keeper, a link pivotally connected to the door and latch, said link being movable in a plane substantially parallel to the door, and a cam tu-rnably mounted on the door for locking the link against movement when in door locking engagement with the keeper.

In a door locking device, in combination, a door frame, a latch keeper mounted on said door frame, a housing provided with a plurality of brackets carried on said door, alatch disposed for vertical movement in said housing, links pivotally connectingsaid latch with said brackets for limiting the upward movement of the latch and a cam disposed between said brackets for locking said latch against movement when said door is in closed position.

4-. In a door locking device, in combination, a door frame, a latch keeper mounted on said door frame, a housing provided with spaced brackets carried on said door, a latch in said housing disposed for vertical movement relative to said latch keeper, links pivotally connecting said latch with said brackets for limiting the upward movement of the latch and a cam turnably mounted in said brackets for locking said latch against movement when said door is in closed'position, said cam being turnable in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of said door.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed myname this 5th day of April, 1930.

HARRY T. ANDERSON. 

